[1] He and his sons Jindřich and Častolov are mentioned in the years 1200–1227 as owners of various settlements in the northern part of today's central Bohemia, e.g. Lovosice, Klapý, Libochovice.

Jindřich, the second and younger of the sons, was mentioned for the first time (along with his brother) in 1219 as a witness to a document of Ottokar I of Bohemia for the monastery in Plasy.

The brothers managed to acquire a large piece of territory stretching from Pirna to the foothills of the Lusatian Mountains up to Česká Lípa, which became the family's power base.

For personal assistance to the king during his campaign to Prague in August 1249, the two Ronovcis acquired other estates after helping to suppress the rebellion, e.g. Lichtenburk (Lichnice) castle in eastern Bohemia.

The Ronovci family (Jindřich and son Smil † 1269) was exposed more in eastern than northern Bohemia after 1250, and they are then listed as the Lichtenburks.

In 1257, Čeněk took part in the military campaign of the royal army of Ottokar II of Bohemia to Bavaria and distinguished himself at the Battle of Mühldorf.

The name of the family is also derived from branches (German ronne), so it is a so-called canting arms (on a phonetic basis).

A member of the family is said to have won a carp in a coat of arms from Emperor Frederick Barbarossa for prowess in a tournament.